Georgia Magazine - June 2017 - 9

June 2017

PURDUE UNIVERSITY PHOTO / DAVID WEGIEL JR.

ngineering students at Georgia
Institute of Technology in Atlanta took home top honors and
$15,000 in equipment and prizes at
the Collegiate Drone Racing National
Championship held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., on
April 15.
Aerospace engineering major Nick Willard of Lexington, Ky.,
and mechanical engineering majors
Seth Ableidinger of Minneapolis,
Minn., and Davis Engelman of Los
Gatos, Calif., beat out teams from
26 other universities in this first-ever
college-level championship, in which
pilots navigated custom-designed
drones through complicated obstacle
courses.

This is one of the 48 student-made drones
that competed at the Collegiate Drone
Racing National Championship at Purdue
University. The remote-controlled aircrafts
sometimes reached 80 to 90 mph and had to
withstand challenging 20 mph winds during
their flights.
From left, Seth
Ableidinger, Davis
Engelman and Nick
Willard, students at
Georgia Tech in Atlanta, were lauded
for their speed and
precision while flying drones through
obstacle courses at
the Collegiate Drone
Racing National
Championship. Here,
they accept their
first-place trophy.

2017 Great Race stops in Georgia

ifton will host the first overnight stop on the 2017 Hemmings Motor News Great
Race on June 24. The race also stops on June 25 for lunch in Newnan and a pit
stop in Armuchee. The time, speed and distance rally of 120 antique automobiles
begins in Jacksonville, Fla., on June 24 and ends in Traverse City, Mich., on July 2.
It covers more than 2,100 miles along the Dixie Highway. For information visit
greatrace.com.
COURTESY THE GREAT RACE

What to do if you spot a snake
* Try to identify it from a distance. Resources such as georgia
wildlife.org/georgiasnakes, which
includes the DNR's "Venomous
Snakes of Georgia" brochure,
can help.
* Do not try to catch or handle
the snake. Give it the space it
needs.
* Remember that snakes feed on
rodents, insects and even other
snakes. There is no need to fear
nonvenomous snakes. Georgia's
native nonvenomous species are
protected by state law, and one-
the eastern indigo-is federally
protected as an imperiled species.
* If a clearly identified venomous snake is in an area where
it represents a danger to
people or pets, wait to see if it
moves away first. If not, contact
the DNR's Wildlife Resources Division for a list of private wildlife
removal specialists. Most snakebites occur when a snake is cornered or captured, prompting it to
defend itself.
Nonvenomous snakes such as
scarlet kingsnake, eastern hognose
and watersnake species can be confused with their venomous counterparts. Pit vipers, which include all of
the state's venomous snake species
except for the coral snake, are often
identified by their broad, triangularshaped heads. But many nonvenomous snakes flatten their heads when
threatened and may have color patterns similar to venomous species.
Use caution around any unidentified
snake.
For more on Georgia's snakes,
visit www.georgiawildlife.org/georgia
snakes. "Amphibians and Reptiles
of Georgia" by Jensen, Carlos D.
Camp, Whit Gibbons and Matt J.
Elliott (UGA Press, 2008) is also a
good reference.
-Rick Lavender

Students showcase precision flying skills

COURTESY GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

46 species native to Georgia are venomous, and only one-the copperhead-usually thrives in suburban
areas.

More online at www.georgiamagazine.org

http://www.georgiawildlife.org/georgiasnakes http://www.georgiawildlife.org/georgiasnakes http://www.greatrace.com http://www.georgiawildlife.org/georgiasnakes http://www.georgiawildlife.org/georgiasnakes http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - June 2017